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Akhilesh kicks of 2022 election campaign with cycle rally from Azam’s bastion
: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav kicked off his party’s campaign for 2022 assembly elections with a cycle rally from Rampur on Friday
: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav kicked off his party’s campaign for 2022 assembly elections with a cycle rally from Rampur on Friday.
Rampur was chosen to show party’s solidarity with local MP Azam Khan, who is currently in jail in different cases.
“The days of our struggle are over and from today onwards only good things will happen as we work towards winning the election in the state,” Akhilesh said addressing his supporters at the inaugural event of the cycle rally in Rampur.
The event was attended by senior party leaders, including Naresh Uttam, Ram Govind Chaudhary, Tazeen Fatima and close to 5,000 supporters from Rampur and nearby districts.
“Today is a very historic day. I am saying this because people know that whenever cycle has moved, it has brought change in the state. I remember in 2012 when we rode the cycle it led to the defeat of then government. I am confident that the cycle will bring about a change,” he said. Akhilesh took out several cycle rallies in the run up to elections in 2012 in which his party emerged with single largest majority and won 224 seats defeating Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP).
The tables turned in 2017 when SP was defeated by the BJP which won 312 seats. The change in government brought troubles for Azam who was slapped with over 70 cases raging from extortion, encroachment to theft and was sent to jail along with his wife Tazeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam. While Fatima was released on bail a few months back, Azam and his son continue to remain in Sitapur jail.
Akhilesh lashed out on the state government for cases against Azam in his address. “I would not have talked about the cases against Azam had they been a few. Never in the history of this country, a leader like Azam, has been named by the administration in so many cases. Azam had to suffer all this because he wanted to change the future of the coming generations. He opened a state-of-the-art university for youngsters so that they get a better education and make a future for themselves. But people who only know the language of ‘Thok do’ and ‘Patak ke marenge’ will never understand this,” Akhilesh said.
The inaugural event was held at a short distance from Mohammed Ali Jauhar University, a brainchild of Azam which has become a hotspot of controversies. The local administration has accused the trust that runs the university and in which Azam is a member, of encroaching over the land of people and government for the construction of the university. The district administration has also made proposal to take the university under the control of the state government.
Akhilesh, in his seven-minute-long address, express confidence in the judiciary and said, “We have full faith in the judiciary. I am confident that judiciary will do justice to the people of Rampur who have been wrongly accused in so many false cases.”
He went on to caution that the BJP will target other leaders for its political gains. “Please remember that no one will be spared. Bharatiya Janata Party will attack everyone,” he said. Without taking name of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who injured her left leg in an alleged attack, Akhilesh said, “Everyone knows that if a person injures his legs that person will not be able to campaign in the election. We have also suffered all this, but it is time we begin preparations for upcoming election.”
Akhilesh also took a jibe on the government for hike in prices of petrol and diesel. “Even the government wants people to use cycle that is why they have hiked the prices of petrol and diesel,” he said.
Before attending the rally, Akhilesh met the family members of Azam and assured them of the party’s support.
The event concluded with a cycle rally from the spot to Ambedkar sthal, some 10 kilometres away. According to Samajawadi Party officials, the cycle rally will continue from the same spot on Saturday and reach Lucknow via Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur, Sitapur and Hardoi. Over 2,000 workers are expected to join the rally according to party officials.
